Walter Langkowski (Earth-616)
, , ; formerly , | Relatives = Veronica Langkowski (ex-wife) unnamed son Gilded Lily (maternal Great-Aunt) | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Formerly Department H (Toronto), Mansion Alpha, Maison Alpha, Department H (Ottawa) | Gender = Male | Height = 6' 4" | Height2 = , 10' 0" (as Sasquatch) | Weight = 245 lbs | Weight2 = , 2000 lbs (as Sasquatch) | Eyes = Blue | Eyes2 = , Category:Red Eyesred (as Sasquatch) | Hair = Blond | Hair2 = , Category:Orange Hairorange fur (as Sasquatch) | UnusualSkinColour = Orange | UnusualFeatures = Sasquatch has wide shoulders, fur all around him and no neck. | Citizenship = Canadian | MaritalStatus = Divorced | Occupation = Adventurer, Professor of Physics at Simon Fraser University, former NFL player | Education = Doctorate in Nuclear Physics | Origin = Transformed during an experiment with gamma radiation, Dr. Langkowski must deal with his massive Sasquatch form. | PlaceOfBirth = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Creators = Chris Claremont; John Byrne | First = X-Men #120 | HistoryText = Early Life Dr. Walter Langkowski grew up in British Columbia. He was an honours student at the University of Calgary before attending Pennsylvania State University on a football scholarship, earning a degree in physics. Walter met Bruce Banner while he was a freshman. Although they only worked with each other for one semester, Langowski decided to focus on gamma radiation research. He played a few years for the Green Bay Packers, becoming very wealthy. He then continued his graduate studies at M.I.T.. He was appointed to McGill University in Montreal. He studied all he could on the Hulk after learning that he was a transformed Banner. Guardian provided additional funding for a research facility at the Arctic Circle. Sasquatch While on leave from the university, Dr. Langkowski began working on a gamma radiation experiment that could create a being like the Hulk, only under more controlled circumstances. Being bombarded by massive amounts of gamma radiation, Walter turned into a huge creature. He then went on a rampage until being found unconscious by Snowbird. Shaman and Snowbird helped Walter learn how to keep his personality and intelligence in his bestial form. He assumed the closeness to the Aurora Borealis prevented him from turning green like the Hulk and other gamma-powered beings. He called himself Sasquatch noting the resemblance to the creature also called Bigfoot. After training in the Gamma and Beta Flight programs, he was accepted into Alpha Flight. He continued to research and teach at Simon Fraser University when not adventuring. Aurora became his lover. At her request, Walter performed a procedure on Aurora to modify her mutant powers and differentiate her from her bother. Unknown to Langkowski, however, his original experiment had instead opened a portal to the Realm of Great Beasts rather than empower Langkowski. He was linked to the beast known as Tanaraq. The more he transformed, the more Tanaraq was beginning to overtake him, especially when he grew angry or felt pain. Snowbird was forced to transform herself into a similar form and ripped the beast's heart out, killing him. Alpha Flight traveled to the Realm of Great Beasts to reclaim his spirit, Shaman sending it into the Box robot. Walter and the Box robot's owner, Roger Bochs, immediately began to search for a new body. Walter refused to enter the temporarily mindless Hulk and seemed to disappear. His spirit existed in the Crossroads of Realities for a time, but eventually entered the body of Smart Alec, who had been rendered mindless and stored in Shaman's pouch. When Snowbird's deceased Sasquatch body was possessed by Pestilence, Walter emerged from the pouch as Smart Alec, transferred his mind back into the Box robot, and battled Pestilence until his spirit vacated Snowbird's body. Walter then transferred his mind into the Sasquatch form and unthinkingly tried to transform Snowbird's Sasquatch body back into his own human body. Instead, he became a white-haired female version of himself, dubbed Wanda Langkowski. After several months as Wanda Langkowski, Snowbird's spirit returned from the afterlife and extracted her godly essence from Sasquatch's form. This effectively turned him back into Walter and the orange-furred Sasquatch. After Alpha Flight disbanded, Walter continued his gamma radiation research at Project Michelangelo in Antarctica. Deadpool attacked the base and caused the core to overload, endangering the entire world. Sasquatch and Deadpool teamed up to shut the down the core. Department H captured an actual Sasquatch and forced it to serve Alpha Flight, assuming it was Langkowski with amnesia. When the creature was killed, Walter was assumed dead. Meanwhile, Walter found his former teammate Guardian in the snow of Antarctica and nursed him back to health. This led to Walter discovering that Department H was up to some shady activities. Walter reassembled the original Alpha Flight and confronted the new Alpha Flight. After Department H was exposed he rejoined the team. When the rest of Alpha Flight were kidnapped by the Plodex, Sasquatch assembled an all-new, all-different Alpha Flight to rescue them. This team remained together after their first mission, and Walter led Alpha Flight for a time. Alpha Flight with the exception of Walter perished battling the Collective. Walter helped organize a new team to defend Canada, Omega Flight. Once Omega Flight fell apart, and his original team returned from the dead, Walter rejoined Alpha Flight in service of the Canadian government. He immediately began a heavy flirtation with Aurora. | Powers = Original Sasquatch Form Physical Transformation: Originally, Walter had the ability to transform himself into his original Sasquatch form at will. While he originally believed his powers were the result of exposure to gamma radiation, the experiment he used opened a mystical rift and linked him with the Great Beast Tanaraq. Walter's Sasquatch form was actually Tanaraq's body and, while transformed, Walter possessed not only his normal personality and intelligence (at least for most of the time he possessed Tanaraq's form), but various superhuman physical attributes. *'Superhuman Strength:' In his original Sasquatch form, which was actually the form of the Great Beast Tanaraq, Walter possessed vast superhuman strength sufficient to lift well over 100 tons he lifted a 250 ton DC-1000. Walter's great strength also extended into his legs, enabling him to leap great distance in a single bound, much the same way as the Hulk. *'Superhuman Speed:' In spite of his great size, Walter could run and move at speeds beyond the natural physical capabilities of the finest human athlete. *'Superhuman Stamina:' Walter's enhanced musculature generated considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. He was capable of exerting himself at peak capacity for a period of several days at the very least before the build up of fatigue toxins began to even affect him. *'Superhuman Durability:' Walter's body was considerably harder and much more resistant to all types of physical injury than the body of a human. He could withstand tremendous impact forces like blows with the likes of the Hulk and Colossus, falls from great heights, powerful energy blasts, prolonged exposure to sub-zero temperatures, and high caliber bullets without sustaining any injury. Current Sasquatch Form Physical Transformation: Walter can transform from his normal form to Sasquatch at will in much the same way as he originally did. At first he needed to enter a meditative state taught to him by Shaman and Snowbird. While he still retains his personality and intelligence in his transformed state and many similar powers to his original form, many of these powers are displayed as either not as advanced or on par with how they were before depending upon the issue. *'Superhuman Strength:' In his current Sasquatch form, Walter is also superhumanly strong. However, his strength is currently only a fraction of what he possessed in his original Sasquatch form. While the exact level of his strength isn't revealed, his strength as fluctuated over the years to being no more than able to lift 10 tons to the levels his original Sasquatch form was and everything in between leaving his true strength unknown. *'Superhuman Speed:' Despite his great size, Walter is able to run and move at speeds that are beyond the capability of the finest human athlete. *'Superhuman Stamina:' Walter's musculature generates less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. However, much like his strength, his stamina in his current form is only a fraction of what it was while he had possession of Tanaraq's body. At his peak, Walter is capable of physically exerting himself for at least several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. *'Superhuman Durability:' Walter's current Sasquatch form is more resistant to injury than an ordinary human. However, his body's physical resistance isn't nearly equal to the level he possessed while in possession of Tanaraq's body. Sasquatch can still withstand powerful impact forces, falls from great heights, and high caliber bullets without being injured. *'Regenerative Healing Factor:' One power that he does have that he didn't while in possession of Tanaraq's form is an accelerated healing factor that enables him to rapidly regenerate damaged bodily tissues. Walter's healing powers have increased as time has gone by. Injuries such as deep slashes, punctures, or broken bones that once took days to fully heal now heal completely within a matter of hours. It isn't known if Walter's healing powers grant him an increased lifespan, greater resistance to diseases, drugs, or toxins than he ordinarily would. | Abilities = *'Genius Intelligence:' Langkowski is a professionally trained scientist with experience dealing with many forms of experimental radiation and their mutagenic effects on lifeforms under controlled settings. As a former professional football player, Langkowski has highly athletic physical strength and endurance, though he is no longer in the peak condition of his life. | Strength = Class 100 |Weaknesses = While transformed, Walter's body is covered with thick, Brownish-Orange fur that helps keep his body comfortably protected from extremely cold weather. However, this fur becomes very uncomfortable in tropical climates. While in his normal form, Walter requires glasses to give him 20/20 vision. | Equipment = Walter developed a bag-like suit which allowed him to be carried in-flight by Aurora or Northstar in his smaller and lighter human form without being affected adversely by the friction caused by their high speed. He also briefly used an armor when Alpha Flight was asked to remove Juggernaut from Squid-Boy's home. | Transportation = Alpha Flight Omnijet. | Weapons = | Notes = Related Articles * Alpha Flight * Snowbird * Aurora References * Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #6 (November 1989) * * OHMU #9, MMM 1983, MARVEL COMICS GROUP © | Trivia = Alpha Flight volume 1 issue #10 states that Walter and his ex-wife have a son. To date this is the only reference to Walt ever having a son. | Links = * uncannyxmen.net Spotlight On... Sasquatch }} Category:Shared body characters Category:Great Beasts Category:Shapeshifters Category:Claws Category:Jewish Category:Regeneration Category:Strength Class 25 Category:Bulletproof Category:Superhuman Stamina Category:Superhuman Speed Category:Geneticists Category:Humans Category:Mutates Category:Scientists Category:Leaping Category:Superhuman Durability Category:Engineers Category:Inventors Category:Gamma Ray Exposure Category:Incalculable Strength Category:Physicists Category:M.I.T. Student Category:Fur